Searching For Pizza In 2008 Vs. Today

On the left, a Google search for pizza circa 2008, dug up by Mike Pantoliano. Notice how little of it shows Google content — ads, user interface, etc. On the right, a Google search for pizza today, on a 1024×768 display, by David Mihm. You can see pretty clearly how much of it is dedicated to Google content versus, uh, “pizza” search content. Here’s what it looks if the left side, from 2008, is color-coded like the right side, from today.

And while the precise mix of Google to non-Google content varies based on exactly which layout Google might be showing you at any given time, what you search for and where you’re searching from (just look at this search for coffee from my neighborhood in Atlanta, which, thanks to Google Places and Local+, is almost entirely Google content), it’s still a look at Google’s priorities in 2008 — searching for the best the web can give you — vs. Google’s priorities today — Google and the best it can give you. (David Mihm ᔥᔥᔥ ★)